“Sluggish demand for polyethylene (PE) has bottomed out, and [demand] is showing signs of recovery,” the JPCA said in Japanese on its official web site.

Among the chemicals which production increased, output of HDPE increased by 11% year on year to 79,100 tonnes in February, while production of PS rose by 11% to 54,100 tonnes, according to the association.

Production of BR was up by 13% to 23,400 tonnes in February from a year earlier, while 129,500 tonnes of toluene was produced in February, up by 19% year on year, based on the statistics.

Output of xylenes went up by 5% year on year to 531,900 tonnes, according to the association.

However, production of nine other chemicals decreased in February from the same time a year ago because of decreased operation days and other operating factors, JPCA said.

Production of low density polyethylene (LDPE) fell by 6% to 11,600 tonnes from the previous year, while output of polypropylene (PP) declined by 15% to 178,400 tonnes, based on the statistics.

Output of acrylonitrile (ACN) dropped by 27% year on year to 35,200 tonnes, while production of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) stood at 38,600 tonnes, down by 14% from the previous year, the data showed.

Japan produced a total of 525,500 tonnes of ethylene in February, almost the same level as a year earlier, according to the JPCA.

The average operating rate of the country’s naphtha crackers was 84.5% in February, unchanged from the same month last year, the data showed.

None of the crackers were shut for scheduled maintenance in February 2013 or February 2012, based on the JPCA data.